2014 budget exposes longstanding Defense budget issues

As DoD continues the rollout of its 2014 budget on Capitol Hill in the midst of a challenging and uncertain fiscal environment, we step back this week to examine some of the long-term problems built into Pentagon spending: issues that will persist regardless of the overall size of DoD’s topline numbers.

Our guest for the hour is one of the most seasoned Defense experts in the beltway. Arnold Punaro is a retired Marine Corps major general who now runs his own federal consulting firm, the Punaro Group. He’s also a former staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Today, he sits on several influential boards and commissions, including as chairman of DoD’s Reserve Forces Policy Board, and as longtime member of the Defense Business Board. He spoke with Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu at his firm’s offices in McLean, Va.

On DoD focuses on the programs and policies that affect the Defense Department. Each week, Defense Reporter Jared Serbu speaks one-on-one and in depth with the people responsible for managing the inner workings of the federal government's largest department, and those who know it best.